The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-30
THE CITY'S TWO TIMES.
WHY SAVANNAH CLINGs TO THE
DOUBLE SYSTEM.

Remedy-Savannah and Columbus
Ohio, the Only Cities Which Have
Two Systems.
There is growing sentiment in Savannah
in favor of the abolition of city time and
the adoption of standard time This senti-
ment is the outcome of the confusion caused
by having two time systems in use, and the
great annoyance in having to specify which
time is meant when an appointment is
made. There are frequent instances of
failure to keep appointments when neither
standard nor city time is specified, and
whenever such a thing occurs the double
time is roundly abused These things hap
pen to residents of the city who have been
familiar with the systems ever since the
second was introduced, and they are or
binary occurrences when strangers are the
ones involved.
A gentleman from another city was Civ
ing his opinion of the systems at one of the
hotels last night. He madea appointment
with a friend, who is a resident here,
and they were to meet at o'clock, but
neither saw anything of the other, and
when they met about three hours later
each was blaming the other for not keeping
the engagement Both, however, stated
thought the other mistaken, until they COM
pared watches and found that the stranger
:. bad standard time and the resident city
time.
MUCH TIME WASTED.
The loss of time that is frequently occa-
stoned by the double system would, if ag
gregated reach a surprisingly large amount,
Many people lose thirty-six minutes when
they start to catch a train. They do not
think of standard time, and they direct their
movements SO as to reach the depot at the
time the train is advertised to leave, but
they are guided by city time, and when
they arrive a at the depot, they find
they have thirty-six minutes in which
to wait and that they have
thrown away just that much
time. Strangers make such mistakes every
day, and they do not speak in compli-
mentary terms of either the system or the
city when they find they are put to the an
noyance of loafing around the depot for
more imam iiaif an hour. The street cars run
on city time, and that is another
cause of trouble in catching trains.
Strangers inquire of conductors what
time they will reach the depots
and the conductor replies according to city
time and puts the stranger at q complete
loss to know whether his train will have left
twenty-four minutes before he reaches the
depot or thirty-six minutes after he gets
there. Of course, he asks the conductor
and receives the explanation, but the fact
that an explanation is necessary whenever
such inquiries are made is strong argu-
ment against the use of city time.
NO ADVANTAGE GAINED.
If there were an advantage to be derived
from the double system the people would
not complain of it, but there is seemingly
none. On the contrary it has many disad-
vantages without any recommendations
The standard time is usad by the govern
ment, the mails are received, distributed
and sent out by it, the railroads use It, and
the vessels use both thereby multiplying
the complications. Some vessels advertise
standard and some city time, so that anyone
desiring to connect with them, must not
only be posted upon the two systems, but
must also know which is used by the line in
question. Every business house must be both
cred by the two distinct systems. The mer-
chants shi their freights on standard time
but gohomv 10 dinner on city time. PROBES
sional men who have nothing to do with lines
Of transportion can get along very well with
away, and then they must look out for
standard time. The double system only
complicates without rendering service of
value, while if the standard time is used,
there will be no confusion either among the
residents or strangers.
CITY TINE NOT SUN TIME.
One very great disadvantage in the use of
the city time is that there is no correct
standard. City time is controlled by the
clock in the City Exchange, Theus' clock
the Independent PRESBYTERIAN &c" Church
and these three are seldom tho
same. A comparison was made yesterday
afternoon. AT Sal o'clock, standard time,
the observations were taken. The three
clocks should then have pointed to All
o'clock, but instead of that, by the Presby-
terrain clock it was 4:ls, by Theus' 419
and by the Exchange clock 413b.
By this it will be seen that the
Exchange clock, which is generally taken
as the standard of city time, was further
from being correct than either of the Others
both of which were also wrong. No obser,
vations of the sun are ever taken TO verify
the city time, and it would be impossible
ever to tell whether it is right or wrong if
it were not for the standard time with
which to compare it. The standard time.
however, is sent out from Washington every
day at IL O'Clock, and if it were in use the cor
rectness of the Exchange clock could be
proved every twenty four hours by any one
who might be i'm the Office of the Western
Union Telegraph Company, which is not
block away.
sUPT FLEMING's VIEWS.
Supt Fleming, of the Savannah, Florida
and Western railway, in advocating the
abolition of city time, said that the
railroad received the time from Washington
at II o'clock every morning and held it
until IL O'Clock, when it is sent out all along
the line Capt. Fleming has made study
OF the time system and he is strongly in favor
of doing away with what he considers
the useless and confusing double
system. He said that one reason
the city time was liked was because
Of a false impression that it is sun time
and that the standard time is an arbitrary
division of the day, whereas the fact is lust
the reverse City time is just thirty-six
minutes ahead of the sun, and standard
time is exactly with the sun. To prove this
he made the following explanation: Green
witch is the zero of longitude and is the
recognized point for measuring time, the
time at all points ON the globe being relative
TO Greenwich time Washington is the
accepted point for reckoning the
standard time. The allowance for distance
is one hour for every IS of longitude Now,
If Washington time is taken as a basis and
the time is reckoned from Washington
back to Greenwich, ON the basis ofsone
hour TO every Is, when Greenwich is
reached the reckoning from Washington
will be found % he Greenwich time exactly,
but If Savannah "sun time is taken as a
basis and reckoned to Greenwich il will be
found 10 be lust SO minutes ahead of Green